


Diversionary Tactic

by RaspberryDevil



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Getting Together, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 12:18:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17745785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaspberryDevil/pseuds/RaspberryDevil
Summary: Considering Piper's tendency to distance herself from her mother, this was a rather Aphrodite like plan. Though neither Percy nor Jason complain when it means that they can kiss the other one without facing the possibility of a rejection.





	Diversionary Tactic

**Author's Note:**

> I started this story after... I think it was the third book? Because of that this doesn't really fit in any canon timeline, so it's more of a post-canon canon-divergence thing? Still, there might be some implied spoilers? I just really wanted to write some Jercy, so please forgive me for this vague setting and accept this humble story which took me way longer than I intended... Also some hinted Reyna/Rachel just because I can.

Sometimes, it's still difficult to believe that neither the gods nor the titans or the monsters are their biggest problems. Historically speaking, it's no surprise that other demigods can be a bigger nuisance. But after defeating Gaia and their parents deciding on taking a break from talking to their children _again,_ they assumed there would be some room to breath. 

  
  


That was until Rachel had a vague dream which set them in motion.

  
  


Not just the seven but also their closest friends come together, discussing the meaning of her dream which leads to them staying at the Roman Camp for a while. And not without a plan. Well, multiple plans, some more logically than the other one, though not without a backup plan in case everything fails.

  
  


Thankfully, Chiron doesn't mind that they aren't telling him in detail about their reason for staying at the other camp. It's better if he doesn't know the whole truth; he was shouldering too many secrets already. He simply tells them to take care and asks them to send an iris message in case they need something.

  
  


Just like he doesn't mind the exchange – a Vulcan and Mars child eager to see Bunker 9 and spar with some Greek demigods as well as two Venus children eager to come up with stylish ways for their Greek siblings to fight – the Romans welcome their stay. Frank and Hazel who are part of the plan, try to sound surprised when they announce their visit, though there is no need to pretend the happiness they feel. It's also no secret that Jason enjoys the camp with Percy and the other ones by his side, always at ease when his old and new home come together.

 

It could be so easy, but not everyone is happy about this.

  
  


Octavian doesn't trust them and they would feel anger due to this lack of faith if he hadn't any right to. The thing is, they sneak around the other camp to gather information on how to get hold of an artefact Rachel dreamed about with a high possibility to steal it, in case it's in the camp. He's not stupid, suspects it and it's setting them on edge.

  
  


"You know", Piper says one evening they are sitting together, "Octavian expects us to conspire against him - against New Rome - so why don't we let him catch us ?"

  
  


They look at her as if she suggested to go for a short swim in the mare nostrum, but she ignores those looks and goes on.

  
  


"I mean, what if we hid something he didn't expect?"

  
  


And that's how Percy ends up snogging Jason in the armoury.

  
  


Well, it's a bit more complicated than that, and it isn't actually involving kissing. Yet. It all comes down to this: Rachel is making heart eyes at Reyna (despite of her denying it). Piper as well as Annabeth are figuring things out for themselves. The positions of Hazel and Frank aren't allowing them to act too suspicious, not to mention that they are good at slaying monsters but too shy for such a plan. And Nico flat out refuses for him and Leo to do it. So Percy exchanges a short glance with Jason who simply shrugs in response. It's decided then.

  
  


This can't be worse than their usual quests after all.

  
  


* * *

 

 

 

Jason wonders if it had been the right thing to go along with Percy's suggestion.

  
  


They – he – could have protested, not accepting the other one's excuses right away. Tell them to consider their options more carefully, it was an important decision after all. Maybe he should have come up with a reason not to do this as well. His excuse would have been as acceptable as anyone else's. However, Jason has no problem with this arrangement, even if it might sound like it. Maybe it is a problem, but he doesn't like to think of it as such.

  
  


Jason had thought about kissing Percy before.

  
  


This thought is not as much of a burden as it might have been a while ago. He's at peace with himself and his own wants, even though he never felt the urge to act on it; the knowledge that it isn't anything to be ashamed of is enough. However, he really hopes this doesn't get in the way of things - he doesn't want to disappoint his friends.

  
  


*

  
  


Percy wonders if it had been the right thing to choose Jason as his partner for this. He knows that he is not a bad choice, especially considering all the circumstances. Jason might hate breaking rules – well, promises – and they are probably going against a few of them, but they had to get Octavian off their backs to investigate without any more trouble. Just because he isn't in a relationship, it doesn't make him automatically the best candidate, obviously, yet it seems like the perfect fit. It doesn't mean Percy hasn't got his own problems to deal with, which he did though in a different way.

  
  


Percy had thought about kissing Jason before.

  
  


Which makes the whole thing a bit more complicated, but he likes to think that it will be alright anyway. It's not like Jason has to know and when he whole thing is over it doesn't matter any more.

  
  


(He tries not to think about how long it would last. Or what he's supposed to feel afterwards.)

  
  


* * *

 

 

Step one: Getting caught.

  
  


Sneaking into the armoury at night is a simple task. Almost too easy, but then Percy remembers what they had gone through so far and it's simple maths at this point. They don't talk, not yet ready to risk being found. Well, that is a lie. They made sure that at least one person had seen them before sneaking inside so that they could alert Octavian. Even if those are Romans, seeing two children of the big three together makes anyone suspicious.

  
  


Percy grins. It took him a while to admit this to himself, but he likes working together with Jason. Whenever they do, they tend to achieve things he wouldn't have been able to reach on his own and it feels good, having someone in sync with him on this level.

  
  


Once they take in their surrounding carefully, Percy stands with his back against a wall, making sure that there is nothing in the way. Looking over Jason's shoulder, he has a good view on the entrance. It's a stupid plan but at this point Percy isn't really questioning much, otherwise his head might explode from the weirdness.

  
  


Jason stares at him for a second as if he meant to say something (not as if he got lost in his eyes) but shakes his head. If he doesn't share his thoughts on his own, Percy wouldn't push him to. Instead, he grins and reaches over to mess up Jason's blond hair; it got longer and he hadn't cut it yet, but he always looked nice like this. _Less Roman_ , a traitorous part in his brain says which he is quick to silence – at this point, Jason is as much Greek as he himself is Roman.

  
  


“Guess I can't return the favour”, Jason muses, trying to resist the urge and brush through Percy's short hair.

  
  


The other one just shrugs and raises his own orange shirt a bit, enough to indicate it was for hands to travel under it. Now that Percy thinks about it, this might be Jason's shirt – since both of them had changed camps they had the tendency to switch between purple and orange as they felt that day and if they didn't find their own one, Jason and he would simply take the other one's.

(Which is something the rest of the Greek Camp doesn't seem to think is too weird, though one or two Romans tend to be a bit confused by this.)

  
  


Apparently, they are convincing enough: They actually do jump when the door opens and only in an afterthought does Percy wrap his arms around Jason's neck. Following his example, the blond places his hands on Percy's hips, trying to ignore how warm his skin is when Jason's thumbs brush against it in the hectic. The look on Octavian's face when he spots then changes from triumph to confusion to realisation and stays stuck with anger. Jason thinks that it's a pity he didn't see his face since his back faced the entrance, despite of Percy's vivid description he gets to hear later.

  
  


"What are you doing?", Reyna wants to know, the dogs at her side ready to hear a lie.

  
  


The signs seem obvious - ruffled hair, riled up shirt and Jason's hands on hips, so they don't need to talk, only look embarrassed. Which isn't really difficult considering what they think the other one's are supposed to think they are seeing. The question is still the one they had hoped for.

  
  


Annabeth had gambled on Reyna being with him and it paid off. Nico had suggested to just involve her in this from the start, but Frank had denied. One Praetor knowing about it is difficult enough. If their plans failed, Frank would have to step down because of conspiracy and attempted corruption. They couldn't lose both Praetors at once, not with the possibility of Octavian taking one place and electing a confident of his for the second one.

  
  


"Jason", she says when they don't reply, and her voice is revealing the disappointment she feels, "I can't believe you ignore our rules for... this."

  
  


Percy isn't sure how much of the shame is real when Jason plays along and hides by burying his face in the crook of his neck. Adorable. Though he is a bit annoyed that - to her -, kissing him is not much more worth than a unspecific hand gesture and a “this”. Ouch.

  
  


"Well", Percy chimes in, regardless of his bruised ego, like they had rehearsed before, "I can't do this when we're busy saving the day. Not to mention that a Graecus with your golden boy isn't... what people like to see."

  
  


The dogs are restless, but technically it's no lie so they stay put; Percy tries not to think about how much of his words reflect his own thoughts a bit more than he personally would like to admit. Octavian seems to brighten at that. His voice is full of pity, but he's obviously enjoying it. Also there might be some relief – they weren't hiding a plan to attack Rome, just a teenage relationship. Piper's plan worked. Or step one did, at least.

  
  


"They won't, but you can't lie to them, can you?"

  
  


And so, as expected, they declare their... relationship. Well, it's Reyna who makes a short speech in the morning first about proper behaviour for members of a Legion, confusing the other demigods, before she looks at Jason and then Percy with a "this counts for you as well, I don't want to catch you in the armoury again."

  
  


They smile sheepishly, trying to ignore the few curious glances and a few amused laughs here and there.

(Percy isn't sure if he imagines the money exchanged between a Venus and Apollo child or not.)

  
  


But whatever Octavian hoped to achieve was less effective with their friends playing along. A ' _hah I knew it_ ', ' _well this explains some things_ ' and ' _I guess this surprises nobody_ ' is not much but makes the story believable.

  
  


Jason was embarrassed regardless, pretended or not. He got a few pitying looks, which has probably to do with being a former Praetor whose reason for not being together with another one in the past seems obvious now. Though Percy had been one as well, even if it had been a short time and he had stepped down.

  
  


(So in the end, he's still somehow dating a Praetor. Huh.)

  
  


Now that he thinks about it, the reactions could have been worse. Percy is glad that the Olympus is closed. He doesn't need Jupiter to be angry at him for apparently making out with his son, he has enough trouble with Zeus as it is. Not to mention Hera. He shudders at the mere thought of her. Those were parents-in-law he really feels like keeping at a distance.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Step Two: Making sure other people believe them.

  
  


They wait a week until they follow their usual plan. During the time in which they try to give Octavian a false sense of security, they are more open about their relationship. They have always been close but now hands linger longer on each other's shoulder, sometimes wander down to rest on a hip and they kiss when they pretend that they think nobody is close. And Jason had actually asked if it was okay, the first time, words loud enough for Percy to hear but not the Bacchus child watching them, waiting for him to nod before he pressed a chaste kiss against his lips.

  
  


It were small things. Percy likes to hold hands or brush his finger against his neck in passing. Jason likes to hug him from behind and bury his head in the crook of his neck.

("When I did this after we were caught, the sea was a calming scent", he simply replys when Percy had teased him by pointing out that _you really like doing that, don't you_?)

  
  


It's not like they haven't been touchy with each other before, it's just that it's consciously this time. Normally, Percy doesn't think twice about throwing an arm around Jason's shoulders when they watch younger members of the Legion train. But this time, he's aware of how he leans against Jason, not for support but because it is nice. How Jason brushes with his thumb against the back of his hand when they are holding hands.

  
  


It's when they are sitting in a circle, talking about their strategy and Jason sits closer than usual, their shoulders touching, that Percy has a hard time not thinking about it. It's Jason's confused expression when he catches Percy starring at him but smiling instead of pointing it out as a weird behaviour. It's Jason fucking Grace who makes his heart skip a beat by merely being with him.

  
  


Honestly, it was fine.

  
  


And Percy is dying inside.

  
  


He's surprised that Rachel isn't saying ' _who is making heart eyes now'_ because she would be right and he couldn't deny.

  
  


Percy is going to miss this closeness once they stop pretending – even if there is no real plan to do so in the next few days. Not that they had talked about this step in the first place. They would get to it once they had to, but somehow neither of them had brought it up yet. He wonders if they can get away with a big break up scene in the middle of New Rome. Maybe he can get a pipe to explode? Or a little storm, that would be nice. Go big or go home.

  
  


(And maybe it would show Octavian not to mess with them when their anger is directed at him.)

  
  


*

  
  


After step two starts, Jason feels constantly watched. It's been ages since he felt everyone's eyes on him, hasn't been used to this much attention, not since everyone waited for Jupiter's son to make a mistake. Maybe it's the same. Maybe they are waiting for two guys like them to argue and fight, trying to dominate the other one. It kind of hurts, the thought that they might not consider it a serious relationship. Even if this is a pretended one. The other demigods don't know that after all.

  
  


Whenever he feels like that, he reaches for Percy's hand. The other one had simply raised an eyebrow the first time, but he hadn't pulled away. Jason was relieved, mostly because it had been a spontaneous action. Squeezing his hand helps him to feel grounded for a second. By now, Percy seems to know whenever he needs this form of comfort, or maybe he drew the connection of Jason reaching out and the feeling of being watched.

  
  


Jason wonders if it would have been easier to pretend at Camp Half-Blood. On one hand, spending the night together in the Poseidon cabin which had no statue of a godly parent starring at them was a good option. On the other hand, it was an open cabin and while he wasn't as prude as Leo made everyone believe, he doesn't like the thought of people seeing them sharing a bed. Not to mention that he doubts Chiron would permit it if they aren't even allowed to sit at the same table.

  
  


Maybe it's good that sharing a bed doesn't come up as an option. From experience, he knows how comforting it is to have someone else sleeping next to him, especially after a typical demigod dream. Percy would be no exception. But he doubts that he'd be able to leave it in the mornings when he has Percy by his side. Even if Annabeth tends to tease him for drooling in his sleep.

  
  


The biggest challenge for Jason though is not getting used to this. It will only make step three harder.

  
  


(But maybe it's already too late for that, considering the fact that he doesn't like to initiate the conversation about a staged break up.)

  
  


* * *

 

 

"Hey, you okay?", Jason asks Percy a week later, when they are actually working on organising the shed and cleaning the weapons.

  
  


"Yeah, I'm fine."

  
  


It's a wonder that they are allowed to be here alone. He assumes it's Frank's doing. Reyna probably thought that his friend had been taken pity on them and agreed – even though they have the same rank and his appearance had changed, she tends to look past his tough act and often just sees a soft young man. She still respects him a great deal, regardless of what she sees in him.

  
  


Or maybe she was fearing that Percy would really drown the poor newbies the next time - though it had been their fault to assume he couldn't control the small Tibet. As if he wouldn't try to prove them otherwise. She probably would have punished just him if Jason had actually warned them instead of standing next to him and saying ' _go on'_ with a shrug.

(Either way he had just played the good boyfriend or Percy was actually rubbing off on him.)

  
  


Though most likely Octavian had had enough of them and their public display of affection. Not that there is more than usual. But he looks slightly confused by it. Having Apollo as his ancestor is enough reason to tell him it wasn't because they were both guys. Now that Percy thinks about it, having Apollo as his dad would have shorten his bi-crisis from an undefined span of time to a few seconds.

  
  


He probably would have gone from “g _irls are so pretty. Oh, Shit, Jason is really cute, but does this mean I don't like girls any more”_ to _“wait a second, dad doesn't fall in love with just one gender, so it's fine. And if not, I'm going to drag him to the fields of punishment with me”_ within mere seconds. However it was still Apollo and he'd prefer a short crisis over having him as a parent (sorry, Will).

  
  


In some quiet moments, Percy allows himself to think it might be longing. Not in the way that Octavian personally wants either of them, but the whole idea of two successful and respected demigods in an equal relationship. Because in the end, this was what he other's were supposed to see. No, it was how he himself felt.

  
  


While Percy wonders about all of this, they continue to work in silence. It's not until they are done for the day that he makes a consciously effort to look at Jason.

  
  


"Do you think we find a place to eat something this late?"

  
  


He had spend a lot of time in New Rome since the end of their mission, but he is still relying on Jason when it comes to find his way around the place. It was less of a tradition and more like a habit to ask him.

  
  


"Sure... but are you really okay? You look tired."

  
  


"Yeah, but we can't go to bed hungry, right?"

  
  


Jason laughs and Percy has to take a deep breath. Right. Okay. He had been able to deal with Jason's smiles before, no problem. Except that they are alone this time, don't have to pretend and maybe it's from the light in the room, the quietness or Jason's unguarded expression but he feels like it's the right moment. He should have found the courage to do this sooner.

  
  


"I want to kiss you now", Percy admits, though stays where he is, despite of the urge to reach out for the other one and do just that without waiting any longer.

 

 

Jason looks taken aback. Percy wonders if he should say something else, but he relaxes when Jason speaks up.

  
  


"Nobody is here."

  
  


Percy smiles when he hears how hopeful he sounds.

  
  


"Good observation, does this mean you don't want to?"

  
  


"No."

  
  


And that's all the permission Percy needs to take a step forward and kiss him. Obviously, it's not their first one but it's nice to know that this time, it's because they want to. It's the unspoken promise to actually talk about this. The promise of no break up after this, as long as they want to be together. A kiss not to prove anything but because it's their decision. Not in front of others. Well, technically.

  
  


There is a sigh coming from the door and when they turn, they see Reyna standing there. She had quickly figured out their plan - or maybe Nico had told her after all - so she seems rather surprised. Or tired of their bullshit.

  
  


"Is this some kind of joke?", she wants to know.

  
  


Jason looks a bit guilty, that do-gooder, but when Reyna turns, Percy calls after her.

  
  


“At this hour, Rachel is always at your favourite place."

  
  


He doesn't wait to see her reaction before throwing an arm around Jason and pulling him in for another kiss. The other one indulges him, smiling against his lips, hand on his hips. This time, the thumb moving under his shirt is no accident.

  
  


“So, about dinner... Is this a date then?”, Percy asks, placing another kiss against the corner of his mouth, just because he can now.

  
  


Jason smiles.

  
  


“Yes, sounds like it.”

  
  


“Good.”

  
  


They still had to get these artefacts, but for now this seems less important. Actually, anything is less important when it involves kissing Jason, but that is besides the point. Annabeth would probably say ' _took you long enough_ ' when he tells her about it, but that is fine as well. She is getting restless after all. Everyone is. But they can still take action tomorrow. Finally, they have some room to act and breath without fearing to get caught. 

  
  


Step three: Coming up with a new plan to gather information which still leaves him enough time to kiss Jason during the rest of their stay.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this, I hope you enjoyed it! Alternative title: How many of my favourite tropes can I put in this?


End file.
